In the past, a plurality of types of game applications of different versions on a game having the same theme have been provided from a game software maker. The user can purchase and use each of a plurality of types of game applications of different versions. For example, in a simulation role playing game (SRPG) having both an element of a role playing game and an element of a simulation game, there are cases in which a plurality of versions that are the same in a basic setting of a story and main characters but differ in a scenario, a map, or a level of difficulty are provided.
However, in the past, when it is desired to play a plurality of types of games of different versions, it is necessary to purchase each application individually. It is an object of the technology to provide a technique useful when a plurality of types of applications of different versions are provided.
A content provision system of a first aspect includes: a content server; and a terminal, the system providing a plurality of pieces of additional content used in an application from the content server to the terminal. The terminal includes at least one processor, the at least one processor being configured to receive designation of the additional content, transmit an acquisition request for requesting acquisition of the designated additional content to the content server, the at least one processor being further configured to transmit acquisition completion information to the content server when a predetermined number or more of pieces of additional content are acquired, and the at least one processor being further configured to transmit acquisition incompletion information to the content server when the number of acquired additional content is less than the predetermined number. The content server includes at least one processor, the at least one processor of the content server being configured to receive the acquisition request and the acquisition completion information or the acquisition incompletion information, the at least one processor of the contents server being further configured to perform a billing process and provide the additional content requested through the acquisition request to the terminal when the acquisition completion information is received, and provide the additional content requested through the acquisition request to the terminal without performing the billing process when the acquisition incompletion information is received.
According to this configuration, it is possible to sell an application without additional content, and after purchasing such an application, typically, the user can use an application using another content (basic content) without using additional content and thereafter acquire additional content using the content provision system having the above configuration. In this case, a fee for a predetermined number of additional content among a plurality of pieces of additional content may be included in a fee for an application. In other words, a sales style in which a fee is paid before a predetermined number of addition content among a plurality of pieces of additional content is acquired from the content server is possible. In this sales style, additional content desired to be initially acquired by the user may be set to be distinguished from additional content desired to be acquired after at least a predetermined number of additional content is acquired. In other words, since a predetermined number of additional content can be acquired from the content server without performing the billing process, it is possible to encourage the user to acquire such additional content first.
For example, by setting such that the above “a plurality of pieces of additional content” are “a plurality of pieces of additional content including first content and second content,” and the above “predetermined number” is “1,” the content provision system is applied as a content provision system including a content server and a terminal, wherein additional content including first and second content used in an application is provided from the content server to the terminal, the terminal includes at least one processor, the at least one processor being configured to receive designation of the additional content to be acquired, the at least one processor being further configured to transmit an acquisition request for requesting acquisition of the designate additional content to the content server, the at least one processor being further configured to transmit acquisition completion information to the content server when any one of the first content and the second content is acquired and transmit acquisition incompletion information to the content server when none of the first content and the second content is acquired, and the content server includes at least one processor, the at least one processor of the content server being configured to receive the acquisition request and either of the acquisition completion information and the acquisition incompletion information, the at least one processor of the content server being further configured to perform a billing process and provide the additional content requested through the acquisition request to the terminal when the acquisition completion information is received, and provide the additional content requested through the acquisition request to the terminal without performing the billing process when the acquisition incompletion information is received.
In a content provision system of a second aspect, in the content provision system of the first aspect, the application undergoes the billing process and is downloaded to the terminal.
According to this configuration, since the application is provided for a fee, a fee for a predetermined number of additional content that can be acquired without performing the billing process may be included in a fee for the application in advance.
In a content provision system of a third aspect, in the content provision system of the second aspect, the terminal designates the additional content after the billing process for the application, transmits the acquisition request according to the designation to the content server, and transmits the acquisition incompletion information to the content server.
According to this configuration, additional content acquired after a bill for the application is given can be provided for free.
In a content provision system of a fourth aspect, in the content provision system of any one of the first to third aspects, the content provision system further includes at least one processor, the at least one processor being configured to encourage the terminal to acquire the additional content that has not been acquired by the terminal among the additional content.
According to this configuration, it is possible to guide new acquisition of non-acquired additional content according to an acquisition status of additional content.
In a content provision system of a fifth aspect, in the content provision system of the fourth aspect, the plurality of pieces of additional content include a plurality of pieces of specific additional content, and the at least one processor being further configured to limit acquisition of additional content other than the specific additional content when the number of acquired specific additional content is less than the predetermined number.
According to this configuration, it is possible to cause the user to acquire a predetermined number of specific additional content first.
In a content provision system of a sixth aspect, in the content provision system of any one of the first to fifth aspects, the application is an application including basic content, and the terminal is accessible to the content server in order to acquire the additional content when a predetermined condition is satisfied in execution of the basic content.
According to this configuration, it is possible to confer continuity or relevance between execution of an application based on basic content and execution of an application based on additional content. For example, when a condition in which basic content is executed up to the end is satisfied, additional content can be provided as content to be continued.
In a content provision system of a seventh aspect, in the content provision system of any one of the first to fifth aspects, the terminal is accessible to the content server in order to acquire the additional content when the application is not executed.
According to this configuration, even when a game is not being executed, it is possible to acquire additional content at a timing desired by the user.
In a content provision system of an eighth aspect, in the content provision system of any one of the first to seventh aspects, the application is an application of a game, and the plurality of pieces of additional content differ in a scenario, a map, a level of difficulty, and/or characters to be a colleague in the game.
According to this configuration, it is possible to provide a plurality of versions of games that differ in a scenario, a map, a level of difficulty, and/or characters to be a colleague in the game.
A content provision system of a ninth aspect is a content provision system including a content server and a terminal, wherein additional content including first and second content used in an application is provided from the content server to the terminal. The terminal includes at least one processor, the at least one processor being configured to transmit first acquisition completion information to the content server when a first application including basic content and the first content is acquired and transmit second acquisition completion information to the content server when a second application including the basic content and the second content is acquired, the at least one processor being further configured to designate one of the first content and the second content that has not been acquired, and the at least one processor being further configured to transmit an acquisition request for requesting the designated content. The content server includes at least one processor, the at least one processor of the content server being configured to receive the acquisition request and either of the first acquisition completion information and the second acquisition completion information, the at least one processor of the contents server being configured to perform a billing process and provide the second content to the terminal when the first acquisition completion information is received, and perform the billing process and provide the first content to the terminal when the second acquisition completion information is received through a receiving unit.
According to this configuration, for the user who has purchased any one of two types of applications with different additional content, it is possible to perform the billing process and provide additional content included in an application that has not been purchased.
In a content provision system of a tenth aspect, in the content provision system of the ninth aspect, the content provision system includes at least one processor, the at least one processor being configured to encourage acquisition of the second content when the first application has been acquired and encourage acquisition of the first content when the second application has been acquired.
According to the above configuration, the content server encourages acquisition of the second content when the first application is acquired and encourages acquisition of the first content when the second application is acquired. Thus, the user can acquire additional content that has not been acquired by him/her by using the content provision system.
In a content provision system of an eleventh aspect, in the content provision system of the ninth or tenth aspect, the terminal is accessible to the content server in order to acquire the non-acquired additional content when a predetermined condition is satisfied in execution of the basic content.
According to this configuration, it is possible to confer continuity or relevance between execution of an application based on basic content and execution of an application based on additional content. For example, when a condition in which basic content is executed up to the end is satisfied, additional content can be provided as content to be continued.
In a content provision system of a twelfth aspect, in the content provision system of any one of the ninth to eleventh aspects, the terminal is accessible to the content server in order to acquire the non-acquired additional content when the application is not executed.
According to this configuration, even when the application is not being executed, it is possible to acquire additional content at a timing desired by the user.
In a content provision system of a thirteenth aspect, in the content provision system of any one of the ninth to twelfth aspects, the application is an application of a game, and the plurality of pieces of additional content differ in a scenario, a map, a level of difficulty, and/or characters to be colleague in the game.
According to this configuration, it is possible to provide a plurality of versions of games that differ in a scenario, a map, a level of difficulty, and/or characters that become to be a colleague in the game.
A content provision method of a fourteenth aspect is a content provision method of providing a plurality of pieces of additional content used in an application from a content server to a terminal, and includes designating, by the terminal, additional content to be acquired, transmitting, by the terminal, an acquisition request according to the designation to the content server, transmitting, by the terminal, acquisition completion information to the content server when a predetermined number or more of pieces of additional content are acquired, transmitting, by the terminal, acquisition incompletion information to the content server when the number of acquired additional content is less than the predetermined number, receiving, by the content server, the acquisition request, receiving, by the content server, the acquisition completion information or the acquisition incompletion information, performing, by the content server, a billing process and providing the additional content requested through the acquisition request to the terminal when the acquisition completion information is received, and providing, by the content server, the additional content requested through the acquisition request to the terminal without performing the billing process when the acquisition incompletion information is received.
According to this configuration, it is possible to sell an application without additional content, and after purchasing such an application, typically, the user can use an application using another content (basic content) without using additional content and thereafter acquire additional content using the content provision method having the above configuration.
A content provision method of a fifteenth aspect is a content provision method of providing additional content including first and second content used in an application from a content server to a terminal, and includes transmitting, by the terminal, first acquisition completion information to the content server when a first application including basic content and the first content are acquired, transmitting, by the terminal, second acquisition completion information to the content server when a second application including the basic content and the second content is acquired, designating, by the terminal, one of the first content and the second content that has not been acquired, transmitting, by the terminal, an acquisition request for requesting the designated content, receiving, by the content server, the acquisition status information, receiving, by the content server, the acquisition request, performing, by the content server, a billing process and providing the second content to the terminal when the first acquisition completion information is received, and performing, by the content server, the billing process and providing the first content to the terminal when the second acquisition completion information is received.
According to this configuration, for the user who has purchased an application with additional content, it is possible to perform the billing process and provide new additional content.
A content server of a sixteen the aspect is a content server that provides a plurality of pieces of additional content used in an application to a terminal, and includes at least one processor, the at least one processor being configured to receive acquisition completion information indicating that a predetermined number or more of additional content is acquired or acquisition incompletion information indicating that the number of acquired additional content is less than the predetermined number and receive an acquisition request for requesting acquisition of the designated additional content, the at least one processor being further configured to perform a billing process and provide the additional content requested through the acquisition request to the terminal when the acquisition completion information is received, and provide the additional content requested through the acquisition request to the terminal without performing the billing process when the acquisition incompletion information is received.
According to this configuration, it is possible to sell an application without additional content, and after purchasing such an application, typically, the user can use an application using another content (basic content) without using additional content and thereafter acquire additional content using the content provision server having the above configuration.
A content server of a seventeenth aspect is a content server that provides a plurality of pieces of additional content including first and second content used in an application to a terminal, and includes at least one processor, the at least one processor being configured to receive first acquisition completion information when a first application including basic content and the first content transmitted from the terminal is acquired or second acquisition completion information when a second application including the basic content and the second content is acquired, receive an acquisition request for requesting acquisition of the designated additional content, the at least one processor being further configured to perform a billing process and provide the second content to the terminal when the first acquisition completion information is received, and perform the billing process and provide the first content to the terminal when the second acquisition completion information is received.
According to this configuration, for the user who has purchased an application with additional content, it is possible to perform the billing process and provide new additional content.
An eighteenth aspect is a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores a content provision program, and the content provision program is executed by a computer and causes the computer to function as the content server of the sixteenth aspect.
A nineteenth aspect is a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores a content provision program, and the content provision program is executed by a computer and causes the computer to function as the content server of the seventeenth aspect.